Hotline #925 - April 12, 1996

Congress has been out of session this week, so there is nothing to report on that front. But it is a good time to remind your Members of Congress about important, pending issues. Democratic Senators need to hear from you that the Senate Amtrak authorization bill, S.1318, needs to come to a vote. Floor time is scheduled for the week of April 29, and it is important that it doesn't slip further.

Also, Members of both parties need to keep hearing support for the concept of the Amtrak gas-tax half cent, as outlined in S.1395 and H.R.2789.

The Transportation Communications Union, which represents 14,000 railroad workers, has threatened a strike for May 9. That doesn't mean one will occur, but the situation bears watching as May 9 approaches.

Amtrak's new summer timetables take effect April 14. Many of the negative changes were outlined in the March NARP newsletter and many NARP members have been calling and writing to complain about them. Amtrak President Downs has told NARP that he is not happy with the process that culminated in the new timetable and assured us that, in the future, proposals will be finalized 90 days beforehand so that senior management -- as well as NARP -- will have an opportunity to deal with controversial proposals before they are cast in stone.

One positive change is the addition of a fourth Capitol Corridor frequency. To promote it, Amtrak and Caltrans are offering free return trips. The offer is good between April 15 and 26, on weekdays only.

Viewliner sleeping cars are leaving the Hornell, N.Y., assembly shop once again. By the end of next week, all sleeping cars on the New York section of the Lake Shore Limited will be Viewliners and the cars they replace will go to the Florida trains. The Crescent will have two Viewliners car lines by then, allowing also for an additional car line. Later in April, Viewliners will be sent to the Boston side of the Lake Shore and a few to the Florida trains.

The Auto Train will be converted to Superliner coaches May 13, releasing a number of Amfleet II long-distance coaches.

Amtrak is participating in a promotion this month with the American Poetry and Literacy Council for National Poetry Month. The Council has donated books called "100 Best Loved Poems" for free distribution in food service cars in Metroliners.

The Kearny Connection, allowing New Jersey Transit trains from the Morris and Essex liens to serve both Manhattan and Hoboken, will open June 10. Also, on May 18, Cape May Seashore Lines will begin an RDC-shuttle service in traffic-choked Cape May County, in southern New Jersey.

A couple of historical notes -- tomorrow is the 150th anniversary of the chartering of the Pennsylvania Railroad, some of whose facilities are still used by Amtrak today. Also, the Amtrak Historical Society will have its annual meeting soon, to commemorate the approaching 25th anniversary of the start of Amtrak. The meeting will be in Chicago, April 26-28. A featured speaker will be Paul Reistrup, who was the second president of Amtrak.